Hi everyone -

I have a 2014 E350 4matic Sport with about ~1500 miles on it. I did a big road trip this weekend and two problems came up:

1) Caught in a rain storm today and the wipers shudder / skip across the windshield. First time I've had this issue and first time I've driven the car in the rain. I had this same problem with my old 2004 C230. I only clean the windshield with windshield washer fluid - no RainX or anything similar. The noise and skipping is pretty annoying. If I squirt the windshield with washer fluid, then the blades won't skip for about 20 seconds. Any thoughts?

2) My PSI tire warning lights came on - front tires ranged from 29 psi to 33 psi and rears ranged from 34 to 38 psi. I think something must be wrong with the sensor.

Any thoughts? Thank you for time / advice.

 

The wipers should improve after a while, after they are 'broken in'. This is how it went with my 2010 E-350.

 

Same issue with me (wipers) .. actually noticed this last night ... very annoying .. hoping the above comment is correct -- will correct with time as it's "broken in"

also.. spraying windshield fluid did improve it for a few minutes.

 

My S class does the same **** too. Only way I have figured out to stop this is to apply rain x on the windshield. Then it wont do it for a few months and then once rainx wears off it starts again then you just apply again. I just used the rain x wipes $5 bucks or so.

 

Hi,

The blade rubber needs to be VERY clean or they seem to chatter. Most focus on the glass but the blade rubber needs to be clean. New rubber is almost worse as it can have mold release chemical cr#p.
I remove them to clean them and my white rag has black marks until
about the third thorough cleaning. I use Pinnacle Signature All Purpose
Cleaner and really scrub scrub scrub them.
I coated my windshield with GTechniq's special long term coating which
does shed almost all light/medium rain once you hit about 15 mph.
However, it does not seem as slick to the touch as the other windows.
I cleaned/buffed/polished all my windows with Flex 3401 rotary and that gave added smoothness to all. Applied wax to all windows except the windshield as you aren't supposed to use wax on the windshield.

The blades seem to need regular cleaning to keep from chattering.

 

Um, why do Mercedes wipers do this and I never ever had this issue with pretty much every other car I've driven (Honda, acura, infiniti) ... just curious

 

Just get other than MB blades. I think they sell Rain-X brand that fits.

 

Thanks for the replies. I thought RainX was actually caused this. I once used it on my old C230K and that's when the problem occurred. I read a few other threads on this issue and it seems some folks blame RainX and others claim it solves the problem. Very confused.

 

I'm one of the many who have had issues with wipers on a near-new MB. I had my first set replaced under warranty at 4 months old - another 4 months down the line, that set started chattering too. I did use Rain-X with both sets, as I had used it for years on my previous car without issue. I've now stripped my windshield down to bare glass, and have acquired both a set of Bosch Icon and a new OEM Valeo set to try. I will keep track of how they perform. For me, it seems they worked OK for the first few months, but then would chatter. A rental E I had gave no similar problems.

 

How did you strip the windshield to bare glass? I have tried glass cleaners but I don't think I have it clean.

Problem I have is I think some crime film on the glass does not allow my rain detection work correctly.

I was actually thinking about putting Rain-X on as it also seems to clean during application but I'm not sure.

 

I've used a solvent, alcohol, non-scratch cleanser, and glass cleaner, along with a magic eraser. I went over it a few times with each method. Rain-X really bonds to glass, but I can tell the difference.

Of course,what happens the day I buy the new wipers? It stops raining.

I am going to hold off on the Rain-X for now, on the windshield anyway. Might still use it on the side glass.

 

just purchased rain-x -- will trial new brand of wipers next if this doesn't work, thanks for tips

 

Out of the 5500 miles on the 2014, that's only happened once to me with the wipers. Sometimes it's due to residue stuck on the wiper or oil yet other times it's from RainX wear off. Best of luck on that fix!

 

Wipers on the ML just mysteriously stopped making noise as well. RainX was applied abut a month ago.

 

Before you do anything set your tire pressures.....when the tires are cold before driving. If you don't have a compressor available overfill the tires a bit then release the air to take it down to the correct pressure....when cold before driving. From the numbers you posted it looks like you need to pay more attention to your tire pressures. Also, don't discount that you may have a slow leak and the sensors are doing their job. I've found mine to be very accurate.

 

I believe that some wipers have graphite on the blades. If you remove the graphite you may have the problems that you mention.

 

The TPMS sensors are not set to go off at any absolute psi. Rather, they are designed to alert based on a baseline set by the reset procedure in your manual.

If you are happy with the absolute pressure in your tires, perform the reset procedure in your manual. They will then alert when that pressure is too low.

Regards,
Don

 

Thanks everyone.

1) I went to the dealer, they filled up the tires with air - said the change in temperature can sometimes cause the PSI issue with the tires. I didn't press the SA on it as I trust it's fixed - car has 1500 miles on it!

2) Dealer put new blades on the car. They told me not to use rainx. Note that this topic (wipers shuddering) is very well document across this forum and benzworld.org. I had this issue w/ my old c-class back in 2005/2006. It was maddening. I really hope I don't have this issue with my E.

Side note - played with the new S class - what a ride and interior!

 

For every 10 degrees temperature change tire pressure changes 1 psi. After driving for about 1/2 hour at highway speed the tire temperature can increase up to 50 degrees....which = 5 psi. The TPMS sensors are designed to alert you when the pressure DROPS (about 4 psi) from the 'set' point. That's one reason you set the pressure monitors when cold. Next time you go on a cruise turn on your TPMS and watch the pressures increase with time until they level out.

 

A temperature change of 10 degrees Fahrenheit will yield about a 1 psi change in tire pressure.

IIRC, TPMS default is set based on the pressures listed for normal load/speed.

 

So they admitted Rain-X shouldn't be used? I am interested to see that. My dealer denied any link, but we all know how that goes. I really suspect there's an incompatibility with these wipers and windshield treatments. There's a ton of talk about it on various forums.

 

I have the same problem with my 2012 E550 cab. Dealer have replaced the wiper blades 3x without any benefit. They also have made "adjustments" on the angle of the blades again with no changes. Service advisor finally told me that I can use RainX as MB sells something similar. This worked but like for 15-to 30 min. only and the maddening noise recurs. Nobody wants to drive my car when its raining. Aaarg!!


I,m having second thought about getting a 2014 model.

 

I did the "Arrie" repair - bought a set of Bosch Icons, and switched the blades from those into the MB/Valeo frames - just took a few minutes. No more shuddering and noise.

 

For the blade chatter, took my car to the dealer who replaced the blades and "clayed" the windshield. He said they must have missed that step when they preped the car. It worked....no more chatter.

 

My 63 wipers chatter, the 550s did as well.... Dumb